Balatro is a roguelike deck builder built entirely around poker hands, having players construct and modify a deck of playing cards enhanced with special jokers to score increasingly massive point totals.

Each run involves choosing upgrades and joker combinations that synergize to push scores higher against escalating point requirements, rewarding creative deck building over repeated attempts. Its addictive, endlessly replayable loop built on a familiar card game has made it one of the standout releases in the roguelike deck builder genre.